There are several timelines spotlighted, including Days of Future Past and the art provided is clearly labeled. Which helps whenever I would like to do an artist spotlight but there are nine writers on this and I’m sure only two or three of them work on any one article.

I like how the significant issues per universe are listed in the back.

The Timelines I really like in this Handbook are –

by John Byrne

Days of Future Past – covers the main story, the Davis story and Days of Future Present.

Earth X – One of the alternate universes where Colossus kills Kitty. Not even in the story proper but in one of the text pieces. Then Colossus is made a tsar of Russia afterwards.

This is an issue full of firsts! First Bill Sienkiewicz issue. First issue of what will be known as the Demon Bear Saga. First Appearances of Rachel Summers (in the proper timeline) as well as Warlock and his father, Magus.

Technically, the Demon Bear has made various appearances as a mental thought of Dani’s from the beginning of the series and it showed up at the very end of last issue but there is a world of difference between Sal Buscema’s Demon Bear (which looks like a big bear) and Sienkiewicz’s Demon Bear – which looks like a bear ripped from a young lady’s nightmares.

Right with the opening splash page, readers knew they were in for a different type of treat. Sal Buscema is awesome, don’t get me wrong but Sienkiewicz is an artist of an higher caliber. The way Dani is laying in bed with her blanket over her and how the blanket blends into the Demon Bear, is incredible.

I imagine if the Internet was around in 1984 (to the point where it is today) that fandom must have erupted. There were probably people who hated it or didn’t get it but what he does on the page, is a true sight to see. I’m sure I probably thought it wasn’t to my taste back in the day, but now I really like it.

Sienkiewicz loses me while he was the artist during the Clone Saga issues of Spectacular Spider-Man (220 to 229), his inks are way to heavy on Sal Buscema’s work. I can tell you that I for sure didn’t like those issues. So I read those first and then I read these New Mutants issues with hesitation but I was able to pull my head out of my own arse and appreciate them. He must have just been trying a new style or something during that year, 1995.

We get Rachel’s origin story. The Mansion is under attack. Xavier tells Rachel to get to the Danger Room, even in 1984 it is the safest place in the building. Xavier gets near the window and in an awesome panel that takes up the upper section of both pages, is just blasted away, the blast is done in completely white (instead of a red or orange hue) and poor Rachel has seen her mentor gun down like a criminal. She is the sole survivor.

Rachel, in the present, looks like how she did at the end of the Uncanny X-Men 142, if not a tad younger. She is walking towards the Mansion. The last time she was there, as we have seen, was not a great time. A police officer sees her and makes sure she is okay. Rachel tells him she is there for Xavier and the police officer drives off. Rachel goes through the gate.

The New Mutants are in the Danger Room. The members training right now are – Cannonball, Magma and Sunspot. Watching them is Dani and Magik. Cannonball is flying too fast and is about to hit Magma. He thinks about a suggestion Nightcrawler gave him recently and tries it out. Before he gets to close to Magma, he turns off his mutant power, spins in a different direction and then blasts off again.

Unfortunately the damage is done, she was distracted by the close collision. Some metal tentacles grab her, she burns as hot as lava and escapes her mechanical foe.

Watching this, in the room, Sunspot can’t help himself but to laugh. Apparently Sam has a crush on Amara, he hasn’t told her and I have forgotten about this brief attraction. Amara is also the new girl on the team, so I reckon there would be feelings from the guys.

Amara falls backwards and Sam is there for the catch. Sunspot is glad that Sam is able to at least get her into his arms.

All the robot opponents are defeated, Sunspot declares they are the winners. To which, Dani and Illyana (with Lockheed on her head!) tell them that Xavier will be the true decider if they have accomplished his goals and expectations for them.

I’m sure how often Lockheed is seen with Illyana is the reason why I started collecting all of her appearances. Owning so many issues of Kitty’s, made me realize I had naturally been collecting Lockheed appearances so that made sense. Owning every other issue of New Mutants, left me missing half the story so I started collecting Illyana as I really like her as a character.

The two ladies start talking about their teammates. Dani doesn’t believe Amara likes Sam in that way. Also that Amara must be having a hard time adjusting to her new life as she came from a hidden country that still acted like the Roman Emperor was still the proper way to conduct themselves. Now she is living in this new modern world. Illyana quietly mentions how she can relate. As she spent seven years in Limbo and that is a long time as well. Then to come back to the world that only changed by ten minutes. That has to mess up one’s mind.

The previous storyline had the New Mutants training with the Hellions, and Dani plus Illyana missed out as Illyana teleported too far into the future (by a week) and missed out on the adventure. This is also why Xavier is training the New Mutants harder, to see what ramifications there were.

Dani is worried about how recurring her nightmares involving the Demon Bear. The Demon Bear haunted her as a child, her parents went to investigate and were killed by the Demon Bear. So she has guilt from that and now the Demon Bear wants what it always wanted, Dani’s death.

The door bell rings. Illyana comes down the stairs, she shoos Lockheed away as the general public can’t see him as he is way to awesome and will pose too many questions. Questions that people in the Marvel Universe probably wouldn’t ask as they have gotten use to a guy who slept in ice for twenty years or a Norse deity who fights among mortals and lives in a billionaire inventor’s house.

Rachel and Illyana meet for the first time! But not really as Illyana doesn’t get her name. Once Rachel sees a fourteen year old Illyana, she freaks out and runs away. When Illyana died in Rachel’s timeline, she was fourteen and never experienced Limbo – so Rachel is shocked and afraid. Poor Illyana, she must have closed the door and was super confused.

How many visitors can they even get on a daily or weekly basis? I imagine Dani had to ask her what that was about, especially as Rachel asked for Xavier by name so he will surely ask once Illyana brought it up to him in a week.

Cut to Outer Space! space space. We see Warlock has he crashes into an unknown planet, he is trying to catch his breath. What he isn’t doing is speaking or thinking in that Warlock dialect slash speech pattern that we have come to expect from the character. We will have to track that to see when he does eventually start that.

His father is right behind him and Magus destroys the planet. Warlock is already flying away at that point. Magus comments aloud – thus he is a villain – that he will kill Warlock as that is what fathers and sons do where they are from. I wonder what the percentage is of fathers winning these fights?

Back on Earth. Dani is in the snow, she has been for a while as she is getting cold and tired. She must keep marching on. Then a bear comes at her and she shoots an arrow through its mouth and into its skull. Dani, she was better than Katniss Everdeen even before Suzanne Collins had the thought to create her.

A second bear shows up and due to how tired Dani is, that boost of speed and desperation gives her the edge to kill the second bear.

The snow disappears and we see that she was in the Danger Room the entire time! Illyana was supervising this session and comes into the room to speak to Dani. Illyana is worried that Dani is pushing herself too hard and for no apparent reason.

Dani tells Illyana that she is tired of not being useful in fights where she can’t use her mutant power to pull nightmare or pleasant thoughts out of their opponents, so she is practicing with actual arrows. Illyana isn’t convinced, though that is good of Dani to have that reasoning in her back pocket. Illyana asks why bears, and Dani tells her that she has to start somewhere.

I really like these two characters together. I think of the friendships Kitty has with the X-Men and her two friends on the New Mutants, Magik and Doug. Magik doesn’t really have that, she has Kitty and her brother Colossus, even Lockheed but Dani is the closet person I would say she could call a friend. And Dani isn’t even willing to reveal to Illyana what is up.

Dan is in her room and feels bad for not confiding in Illyana. She knows she has the aid of her teammates but she has to settle a blood debt with the Demon Bear. Dani thinks to herself how she is a Cheyenne Indian and she needs to seek out the Demon Bear and set right with once went wrong. I’m glad she mentions which tribe she is from as it is a detail I should really do better to remember.

Dani is deep into the woods that surround the Xavier Estate when she encounters the Demon Bear. It is a giant of a bear, like half of a skyscraper, big. She pulls its worst nightmare out and is surprised to see that it is herself and in her New Mutants uniform! Probably because Sienkiewicz hadn’t gotten to draw her in her uniform for his entire first issue.

Demon Bear hates Dani, so takes a swipe at the image of Dani. Dani takes advantage of the distraction and fires an arrow into its neck. Unfornately, this does nothing to slow it down. First, it knocks her bow out of her hand, next, it swats her to the side and then it picks her up. She looks like a little doll in its meaty paw.

It moves to maybe eat her and she shoves an arrow into its mouth. The Demon Bear drops her, giving her a chance to go for her bow. She fires another arrow into its mouth and it appears to be killed. She makes the classic horror movie mistake of wanting to make sure it is dead, not by firing more arrows into it but by letting down her guard and stepping closer. The final panel on the page is the Demon Bear opening its eye.

Making the Hunger Games reference earlier, FOX is really making a mistake by not instantly making a Dani Moonstar movie. Especially as the Hunger Games films are making a load of money. Reminds me of how puzzled I was that there wasn’t a Doctor Strange film when the Harry Potter films were being released. Or how there wasn’t a Spider-Man versus Morbius film when the Twilight films were coming out. That’s the beauty of comics, they can take advantage of any trend that Hollywood is going down.

Back at the Mansion. Wolfsbane wakes up, screaming. Typically, her connection with Dani is only active when she is in her wolf state but maybe because she was sleeping, she has a connection there too. Though, who knows how intricate that bond is while Rahne is sleeping.

Rahne starts running out of the mansion. The New Mutants follow, minus Magma.

They head deep into the woods, and then they see. The final page is a splash page of poor Dani, bleeding out onto the perfect white snow.

I’m sure I’ll do the other chapters of the Demon Bear Saga one of these days but for now, this is it for us here at S&FwM.

Don’t worry, I bought the book for my son, Walker Dennis. Are there other children’s books with Kitty in them?

This is a Level 3 book. Which means it is meant for Super Readers, Grade 1 – Grade 3. It has paragraphs, suspenseful story lines and character development.

This book is 48 pages, so we were able to read it over several nights to our five month old.

There are seven chapters.

I like this book and wish there were more of them.

This book adapts Uncanny X-Men 141 and 142, the Days of Future Past Storyline. There are some slight changes, which should be expected.

In the future, Wolverine is also collared so he can’t use his powers.

I like on page 7, the homage to 141’s cover. Also how Wolverine has Reed Richards temples.

Chapter Two, is essentially an adaptation of Uncanny X-Men 129 – Kitty’s first appearance. Just without the Emma Frost and the Hellfire Club. Also, instead of Colossus coming to Kitty’s house – it is Jean and Cyclops.

In the future, I like how Rachel Summers is wearing her current costume, turkey jacket and everything!

Chapter Five, Kate wakes up in Kitty’s body. Jean is wearing a costume unique to this story. Jean confirms Kate’s story and Cyclops tells the team that they are heading to Washington DC. I like how he doesn’t ask any follow up questions, that is the life of an X-Man.

Mind you, Xavier is present in those pages, Jean is there just to show Jean. Or maybe that is why Cyclops didn’t question the tale, as Jean confirmed it.

In this book, they are merely only trying to prevent Senator Kelly’s kidnapping. Which makes sense of a change.

I do like how the book has the correct Brotherhood, all are present. Avalanche is in a costume that is also unique to this book.

Another thing to note, is there a rule of how many chapters these books can be? The first six chapters are barely five pages each. Chapter Seven is nearly the combined number of pages. Actually, it is just a double length chapter once I did a page count.

Story ends the way it does from Uncanny X-Men 142, except it is Mystique with the crossbow. Kate takes her out, regardless. As soon as she does, she faints as her mission is a success. I like how the image shown appears like Cyclops is holding Colossus back from going to Kitty. There can only be the one X-couple when Jean and Scott are around.

Book ends with SHIELD taking Mystique away.

Here is hoping that this book sells and they make more children’s books based off of Kitty’s adventures with the X-Men. Kitty’s Fairy Tale, would work, for one.

Doug is having a nightmare where he is all powerful (from that last major storyline of the third volume of New Mutants). He has killed the New Mutants. Including Magik, who was run through with her own soulsword. Not cool, Doug! Not cool!

Doug wakes up with a fright. He can’t keep living like this, and contemplates ending his life.

He opens the door after deciding how he will do it, to find the All New X-Factor waiting for him. In previous issues, they have been investigating Magus, Warlock’s father as he has been causing problems for Serval – the company that sponsors the team.

Danger scans Doug and sees that a piece of Warlock was left behind. Doug tells her that isn’t possible. She goes ahead and plunges two fingers into his chest and pulls out the piece of Warlock she was talking about. Warlock has been monitoring his dear friend.

Doug is able to see the wavelengths, so now he knows where Warlock is – Houston, Texas. So the team, with Doug, goes there.

In a great show of Quicksilver’s powers, Polaris is in the middle of a sentence – this sequence is broken over three panels – and the middle panel is her mid sentence and the final one is him coming back as she finishes her comment. That’s how fast he is.

The building he investigated doesn’t have anything, then the ground moves and out comes the giant factory. Magus welcomes them inside.

The team as of right now is Gambit, Danger, Polaris and her brother, Quicksilver.

Meanwhile, over at Serval – Mrs. Snow, who is married to the president of the company – wants to have have lunch with her husband. He needs a minute to wrap up some business. Mrs. Snow speaks to his assistant, Linda, and Mrs. Snow accuses Linda of sleeping with her husband. Linda denies it. Mrs. Snow tells her that she already knows and things will be easier if Linda just confesses now as it will not end well for her down the road. Linda stands firm. The Snows leave and I am left with the impression that Linda is having sex with Mr. Snow. Which is so lame and predictable. Just don’t cheat on your wife. Come on, already!

Back with Magus, as he is giving a tour of his factory. The humans that work for him are not being mind controlled. They are paid a fair wage, things are good. X-Factor is there as Magus is cutting into Serval’s profits.

Magus updates the team (and me) that the planet he is from, where all of the Phalanx are from, has been destroyed. The few that remain on Earth, are the last of the species.

Magus also tells them that he is no longer trying to kill his son, Warlock – as their tradition states (one of them has to be killed by the other) – and that Warlock is helping him at the factory.

Warlock comes out, sees his self-friend Doug and they are united after a while of not seeing each other. Doug confronts him about the tracking unit. Warlock was worried for his friend, as he suspects Doug is having suicidal thoughts. Doug denies having any sort of thoughts of that regard.

Danger is tired of all of this jibber jabber. She didn’t bring Doug there so that he can have a nice chat with Warlock.

There is a fun scene where Warlock hits on Danger. She isn’t interested.

Warlock wants to join Doug in his new adventure with X-Factor. Warlock asks his father if that would be okay. Magus loses his mind and after yelling for a minute, agrees to let him go. Which I completely get that, that’s all I want to do sometimes, is to vent and then still do what I’ve been told to do.

Polaris is surprised that they are going to just let Magus continue his goals. Quicksilver points out that the only reason Magus attacked them in the past is due to them attacking him first.

So X-Factor has gone from three members to five.

I’m going to keep track of this series and see if Magik shows up again in more dream sequences or an actual appearance.

In Honor of Memorial Day, we spotlight another comic with Captain America on the cover. This time, it is Bucky Cap again.

I’m not sure if this is common knowledge but I looked up what the difference is between Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day (a while ago) and Memorial Day is to remember the fallen soldiers and Veterans’ Day is to appreciate the living soldiers. Which I like how we have both days for that.

I really like the concept of this handbook. Steve Rogers, returning from the dead, is now the Director of SHIELD and has written a dossier on all of his fellow heroes. I could really use more Handbooks written from the perspective of one particular character.

The Heroic Age was Marvel’s attempt, after all of the darkness from House of M to Civil War to Dark Reign to Siege, and how the heroes were meant to be back to being heroes. It was a nice attempt.

The two that I want to spotlight are the entries for the New Mutants and Kitty Pryde.

New Mutants

Affiliations : X-Men, Cyclops, Professor X, Magneto, Cable

Status : Free agents; identities protected

I had limited involvement with the original New Mutants group, formed by Professor Xavier as the next generation of mutant heroes when his X-Men were believed dead. These youths have now grown into capable adults, accomplished in the use of their powers, and they have rejoined for special missions now that the X-Men have relocated onto Utopia. Talented and powerful operatives like Cannonball, Sunspot, Magma, Karma and Moonstar (despite the absence of her powers) alongside returns Magik (who sets off all kinds of mystical warnings), Cypher (who was believed deceased for years) and Warlock (back from space, apparently). The New Mutants have had recent battles with the Savage Land Mutates and the Right. As much as I would love to utilize this talented group, they report directly to Cyclops and focus primarily on mutant rights. I can’t help but wonder why Cyclops sanctions these individual team activities when the entire mutant population seems melded into one military unit of late.

Pros : A diverse power set and a capable group of young mutants; highly trained.

Cons : The group is isolated among the rest of the mutants on Utopia.

Kitty Pryde

Affiliations : X-Men, Excalibur, SHIELD

Status : Free agent; no duel identity

I thought Bucky Barnes was young when he became my teammate at 15. But Kitty Pryde discovered her mutant abilities and joined the X-Men when she was only 13-and-a-half! She was seemingly an ordinary living in a Chicago suburb when she learned she could become intangible and “phased” through walls. She soon found herself embroiled in a struggle between the X-Men and Hellfire Club, but showed herself brave and capable in this trial by fire and started studying at Xavier’s school soon afterward. Kitty is still quite young, but has proved to be mature beyond her years. She not only holds her own among her older fellow X-Men, but has even briefly served as SHIELD’s youngest agent. She turned out to be brilliant in computer science, speaks many languages, and can pilot aircraft. Wolverine has even trained her in samurai martial arts. But her spirit hasn’t been hardened by all the battles she’s gone through. Whenever she and I occasionally cross paths, she remains a fresh-faced, enthusiastic young girl.

Kitty only gets mention in this issue, just like she got mentioned in the first issue of this series. Which I’m trying to find a copy of so I can verify it for myself but at this point, if the Marvel Database website states she is mentioned, I believe it. I made a point of checking some series and discovered that I missed a couple issues, including X-Men 10, so I’m trying to locate a copy of that too!

Then. So last issue, the Superior Spider-Man shoved Wolverine off a ledge. It was awesome. Before Wolverine can land on his head, SpOck webs his foot. Then just leaves him there. If it wasn’t for the recap page and the red and black glove, there would be no official appearance.

Wolverine gets to his feet. Jubilee is waiting there in a car. Wolverine asks how she is outside in the daylight.

I like how every appearance of Jubilee outside of X-MEN requires the writer of the title to explain how she is outside.

Now. Wolverine wakes up next to Pinch. That’s her name, that’s the name he calls her in bed. He had a nightmare. Once again, I don’t believe they have sheets on her bed, just a big blanket. Or at least, they don’t tuck the sheet under the bed like normal people do.

Then. Jubilee’s team are fighting some robots – Storm, Rachel, Psychole and M.

Jubilee explains that Beast made some modifications to her car. She is wearing one billion sun screen. The car itself has review mirror colors in a radar image of her plus other protections. Beast likes the challenge of vampirism.

The fight with the robots is not important, so unimportant that the description of the man is just billionaire with a mad on mutants.

Jubilee wants to know what the official status with Wolverine and Storm is, as he has pulled away from the X-Men. Wolverine tells her that he and Storm never really put a label on it. Clearly, they never saw that episode of How I Met Your Mother, Definitions.

Wolverine asks how she found him. Beast put a tracker inside of his belt. Wolverine is so tired of his teammates worrying about him and his lack of a healing factor. They are being insensitive to his disability and not treating him like a person.

Wolverine gets a call from Maria Hill, to meet her around the corner but not to tell Jubilee where he is going or why. So he just gets up and leaves.

Maria Hill offers him a job, which he is excited about as she wants to use his lack of a healing factor as an asset. He likes this. She tells him that the task is to go after Sabretooth.

Wolverine tells Hill that – Pryde said a lot of tough words to me about that, an’ she was down-the-line right.” Hence, I own this issue.

I like Kitty having to get real with Wolverine. He can’t just keep going after Sabretooth and taking huge loses just to go up against him in a fight and win that fight. Winning a fight isn’t the same as what it cost him in order to go after Victor.

Hill tells him that he isn’t going to fight him one on one. This isn’t a sanctioned grudge match.

Now. Wolverine makes a point to hanging out with fellow gang member, Lost BOy. They bond, sort of, over a video game. Lost Boy makes a joke about how Wolverine was around when they were play testing chess. Which is actually pretty funny. Wolverine thinks his code name comes from Peter Pan when it actually comes from vampire movie from the 80s, The Lost Boys.

Then. Wolverine comes charging at the robots. He pops his claws, like a fool. Honestly, he should know by now that he can’t be popping his claws.

The robots merge into a giant robot. Storm wants the team to work together. Wolverine freezes in place, as the giant robot is about to stomp on him.

When did Rachel lose her trench coat? She isn’t wearing it here and it is the first time I’m seeing it for myself. Her uniform looks a little superhero-y without the jacket.

Everyone is shouting at Wolverine to move but he just can’t. Jubilee dives and shoves him out of the way. The X-Men fight the giant robot as Wolverine runs off to cry and probably put on a diaper.

Later at the Jean Grey School. Wolverine comes home. Quentin Quire tries to give him a hard time but Wolverine walks right pass him. He’s having a day. He opens his door and sees web to the wall, his new armor uniform with a note. The note reads – From a ‘friend’ as if the webbing to the wall didn’t explain that. So that’s what Spider-Man was measuring.

Now. n Undisclosed Location. So Mystique is having a board meeting. Around the table is – Silver Samurai, A Kabuki mask person (from the last volume – he’s an elite guard of the hand) and three other Hand ninjas.

Mystique is asking everyone what they think of Sabretooth now. Silver Samurai believes Creed is changed, now that he doesn’t have his conflict with Wolverine, he has nothing to stop him from just going through the motions.

Mystique states that the new object Sabretooth is after is just a distraction.

Then the door opens, everyone does that thing where you quit talking as the person enters the room. It is a fun panel.

Issue ends with a splash page of Sabretooth, still in a nice business suit, telling the room that the object he is after will make him a god!

I’m hoping to get a copy of issue four from Hastings as I know Kitty is already going to make an appearance. I’m okay if Cornell wants to have Kitty appear every even issue and be mentioned in every odd issue. That works for me and it will for sure get me to keep buying the comic.

The concept of this issue is, what was happening in England while Days of Future Past was happening in America.

The nice thing about the opening is that Ellis tries to tie where Excalibur is now to where Kitty and Colossus need to be to still make Days of Future Past work.

The Sentinels have made a pact with Black Air, the British Security Service (and the upcoming issues big foe that leads to the big issue one hundred!). Black Air has started making Europe and Great Britain a living nightmare for mutants.

We are treated to a page with two images. The top image is a group photo Excalibur as it should be circa 1996. The bottom image is the burn version of the above image, which is a very nice way of showing dreams being burn to the ground. Excalibur is clearly a team that would take annual pictures.

Excalibur, at this time, has the most members it would ever have – Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Colossus, Daytripper (Amanda Sefton), Captain Britain, Meggan, Wolfsbane, Douglock, Pete Wisdom, Moira MacTaggert and Rory Campbell.

We are told the tragic history of what happened to these characters. Kurt went back to America, and died holding his mother’s, Mystique, hand. Which also was not shown in Excalibur 35 but that’s okay too. Also, not shown in Rachel’s flashback in issue 52. Once again, I like the idea of whenever a new glimpse of Days of Future Past occurs, that the timeline from the last time to the present time are all consider so Days of Future Past is constantly being changed. So in Rachel’s mind, she remembers the big life changing moments but the small details change. Or, at least, that is how I make it work in my mind.

Kitty and Colossus also go back to America, so that they can get married.

Amanda gets killed by her mother, Margali, which makes sense.

Douglock vanished one day.

This issue then continues with what is left of Excalibur.

Under Braddock Manor, is a cave system, and here is where Excalibur makes their home. Wolfsbane is on monitor duty, she always is. The visions she has seen, don’t even make her blink anymore.

We learn that the RCE is still a resistance force. I do like how Ellis takes care to try to set up Davis’ Days of Futures Yet to Come as that story takes place largely in 2015. Black Air is slaughtering people and leaving their bodies in designated locations.

Psylocke is a member of this Excalibur. She is regretting not going with Angel back to America. Wolfsbane tells her if she did, both of them would have been killed, instead of just Warren.

There is an ad for UltraForce toys.

The next member of Excalibur shows up, and the true connection to Davis’ story, Tangerine, in a different costume than she will later adopt. The war must be still fresh as they haven’t decided to start dressing like heroes yet, just survivors. I get the impression Psylocke and Tangerine are not friends as Tangerine asks if Psylocke still has dreams of burning feathers. Which is cruel to bring up.

Tangerine tells these two ladies that the boss is ready to see them. They all walk into another room and we get two more members of Excalibur.

Captain Britain and Meggan! I like how dark his costume is, it is on the cover, it is nice touch to the design to show how dark the world has gotten and how much darker a symbol has to get. Meggan has a buzzcut.

Through Meggan’s dialogue, we learn that their leader doesn’t like having the entire team in one place at any given time, it has been months since the last time they were all assembled. We also learn that Brian and Meggan are married in this future timeline.

They enter the final room and we get the last two members of the team. Karma, is the right hand woman to their leader – Pete Wisdom! Who, of course, is bald and in a wheelchair.

In the captions, we learn about Pete Wisdom and how he loved a woman but never told her so, which is naturally Kitty Pryde. He has also lost friends in Kurt, Amanda and Moira. To make matters worst, Black Air cost him his use of his legs. We are left to imagine what it could have been.

We learn about Karma’s current status. No one knows if she has lost anyone due to either the Sentinels or Black Air.

Karma tells the team that Pete has a mission for them. He snaps at her as he can tell them himself. There is clearly something being hinted at there but who knows what it is!

Wisdom has located Douglock, or what is left of him. Wisdom wants to end Excalibur to the location so that they can get any information that Douglock has been able to obtain over his years of captivity.

Karma wants to know who is going to be her ride. She has perfected her powers to the point where she doesn’t have to fully possess someone, she can just tag along and see what they see and relate that back to Wisdom. She chooses Captain Britain and it causes him a bunch of pain.

There is an ad for DC vs. Marvel, it is okay.

Future Excalibur is still using their plane, the Midnight Runner. Captain Britain and Meggan jump out of the plane and break through the ceiling of Blackwall. Then rest of the team follows.

Rahne notices the smell to the place. It smells like how Douglock use to.

Then the walls start attacking them! The walls are made of the same material Douglock is, and they have taken on the shape of the Brood. Meggan is grabbed and Captain Britain helps her out.

Tangerine gets to a lock door that is powered by a brain in a tube (?). Telepathically, it is calling her rude names. Psylocke makes a comment about a girl doing a woman’s job and she throws a psychic knife into the brain and the door opens.

The door opens and all we see is Douglock’s head in the middle of the room as the rest of his body has been stretched into miles of thread. Douglock has become the operating system of Blackwall.

While the team is in shock of the horrors, we get the captions of Black Air came in afterwards and taken the team. I can only imagine the team dies here. Maybe Tangerine escapes.

In the Present, Brian wakes up from a nightmare. There was a storyline where he got trapped in the timestream and kept bouncing from the beginning of time to the end of time and back and forth for months.

One of the ways his mind copes with what happened to him is that it spills out memories like these from time to time.

This issue is mostly a way to set up how big of a threat Black Air is as that is where the title and the team are heading towards.

Next issue begins Carlos Pacheco’s run as Penciler on the title.

On the back cover, is an ad for Bio-Dome.

. . .

Got my second DCBS shipment. This time it went three day priority, which is great!

Like this:

We finally went to Hardee’s for dinner. I got the half pound version and my wife got the quarter pound version. We also ordered a Hot Ham & Cheese sandwich, which we didn’t received.

I would recommend ordering a side of onion rings, we both did this. The burger has onion rings, but nowhere near as big as the picture shows. The extra onion rings really added to the burger.

It tasted just like the burgers from the Carl’s Jr. in Yuma, Arizona – which was great as I was hoping it would bring back pleasant memories. And it did! Just can’t beat BBQ Sauce, a good cheeseburger, onion rings and bacon. It really is the perfect ingredients! Only thing to make it better would have been if there was a double patty burger!

I went through the drive-thru and when I got to the window, I saw that the employees were wearing X-Men : Days of Future Past hats. The lady wouldn’t sell me a hat, but she may have been under the impression that I wanted her hat.

Also, she did not know when the collector cups were coming out. I thought they would be out by now, but maybe they are waiting until the movie comes out. That is when I plan on going back.

. . .

The movie comes out today, in America – its already been out in better countries. It is getting great reviews. Also, stay past the credits for a bonus scene.

MARVEL 75TH ANNIVERSARY MAGAZINE #1
Cover by GREG LAND Marvel celebrates its diamond jubilee with a gem of a magazine spanning its entire 75-year history! From its origins in the Golden Age through the rise of the Marvel Age of Comics and beyond, the House of Ideas has introduced a collection of characters unparalleled in pop culture. The MARVEL 75TH ANNIVERSARY MAGAZINE covers it all — Spider-Man, the Avengers, the Defenders and more, and the creators who have chronicled their legendary adventures — with a collection of articles, interviews and insights into each decade’s highlights.
96 PGS./All Ages …FREE*
*Retailer: Check upcoming Marvel Mailers on details on how to recieve your free copies.
Also available for order, a keepsake edition of MARVEL 75TH ANNIVERSARY MAGAZINE #1 – 96 PGS./All Ages …$9.99

Looks like the X-Men were not invited to this party

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #18
Brian Michael Bendis • Ed McGuinness (A/C)
Original Sin Tie-In!
• You know you want to know how Star-Lord got back from the Cancerverse.
• And didn’t Nova go in there with him? Guess he’s not into the whole “no man left behind” thing.
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Really hoping that if Kitty was going to show up in this – and this sounds like it is a flashback tale – that they would at least put her on the cover.

UNCANNY X-MEN #25
Brian Michael Bendis • Chris Bachalo (A/C)
ORIGINAL SIN tie-in!
• Xavier’s greatest secret has been revealed!
• Against such overwhelming power, will the X-Men succeed in holding the line?
• Or will Xavier’s final “gift” to his children be their undoing.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Here is hoping that Original Sin doesn’t kick Magik off the title. I can’t imagine it would.

Ooof, I really wished double shipping will stop for this title. Kitty is in the solict for issue seven, so that’s always a good thing!

LEGENDARY STAR-LORD #2
Sam Humphries • Paco Medina (A/C)
• Peter’s captured by a bounty hunter—who may have a strange connection to his past!
• Can Peter and the bounty hunter make amends before he’s fed to a giant alien?
• And who is the mysterious Mr. Knife–and why is he so interested in Star-Lord?
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Here’s hoping Kitty is at least referenced in this!

NOVA SPECIAL #1
Sean Ryan • JOHN TIMMS (A)
CONCLUSION TO THE UNCANNY X-MEN/IRON MAN/NOVA CROSSOVER – “NO END IN SIGHT”
• Nova gets tied up into an adventure with the Uncanny X-Men and Iron Man that takes him half-way across the galaxy.
• See three of the best books at Marvel collide!
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

Here’s hoping Magik is still tagging along and the Uncanny X-Men are not just represented by Cyclops.

Another “No More Banner” storyline? I feel like this is becoming the go-to story to tell. Glad Bagley is able to flex his artistic muscles with the Hulk.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY ANNUAL #1
Brian Michael Bendis • Frank Cho (A/C)
• Most days in space aren’t exactly what you’d call normal, but everything seemed to be status quo today.
• That is until a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier showed up out of nowhere…IN SPACE.
• Sometimes you have to go outside your jurisdiction to take care of business, but this might be stretching it a bit.
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

Frank Cho is on art, so one would think that this would be heavy on female characters, but time will tell if Kitty shows up in this. I doubt it, and I may be crazy for even thinking it should still be an option.

Man, they really are all about teasing X23 with one of her male guest-stars. Do people not remember her relationship with Hellion? It is possible for her to warm up to someone.

NIGHTCRAWLER #5
Chris Claremont • Todd Nauck (A)
• Who knew the life of a high school teacher isn’t as glamorous as it’s made out to be?
• Struggling to adjust to everyday life back at the Jean Grey School, Nightcrawler turns to his fellow X-Men for inspiration.
• But when it comes to life with the X-Men, inspiration may just come from the unlikeliest of places!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I can only imagine this will have a nice Rachel / Kurt moment. Kurt needs to spend a weekend at the New Xavier School.

ALL-NEW DOOP #5 (of 5)
PETER MILLIGAN DAVID LAFUENTE (A)
• A senior X-Man must find Doop and make him stop the craziness corrupting the real world. But is the little green guy too far gone to listen?
• Someone leaves the X-Men, Doop turns down a marriage proposal, and a reservation is made at the Hall of Hairy Armpits.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I am going to miss this miniseries once it is over.

X-MEN #18
MARC GUGGENHEIM • DEXTER SOY (A)
• NEW CREATIVE TEAM! And a new mission for the first all-female team of X-MEN…
• S.W.O.R.D. is Earth’s premiere counterterrorism and intelligence agency when it comes to dealing with extraterrestrial threats.
• But when the ferocious Shi’Ar warrior Deathbird lands on their doorstep at the brink of death, S.W.O.R.D. calls in the X-MEN to investigate!
• But are the X-Men equipped to handle the horrific new threat that’s emerged from the edge of space?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

ooof, another X-Men in space, why do so many writers want to send them off to space? The X-Men have two good outer space stories and we really need to move on from it.

MARVEL 75TH ANNIVERSARY OMNIBUS HC
Written by VARIOUS
Penciled by VARIOUS
In late 1939, the fledgling Timely Comics published MARVEL COMICS #1 — introducing the Human Torch, Sub-Mariner and more to an unsuspecting populace. Seventy-five years later, Marvel Comics has become a world-renowned multimedia empire, home to some of the most recognizable and beloved fictional characters ever known. Now, the cream of the crop is presented in one deluxe, oversized hardcover! That’s right, it’s the best of the best from Marvel’s 75-year publishing history — from the Golden Age to Marvel NOW! — as chosen by you, the loyal fans! So face front, True Believers, and prepare to relive 75 years of greatness as only Mighty Marvel could do it!
1000 PGS./Rated T+ …$99.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9198-8
Trim size: oversized

I sent my e-mail of my ten picks – Uncanny 129, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 172, 173, 174 and 175. I am sure none will be picked and I’m definitely sure that the book will be largely origin stories that have been printed thousands of times before.

X-MEN: THE ADVENTURES OF CYCLOPS & PHOENIX TPB
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL, JEPH LOEB, JOHN FRANCIS MOORE & TOM DEFALCO
Penciled by GENE HA, PASCAL ALIXE, KYLE HOTZ & MORE
Cover by GENE HA
Join Cyclops and Phoenix on the wildest honeymoon of all time, and learn how young Nathan Summers became the man called Cable! When the newlyweds are pulled 2,000 years into the future, they must raise Cyclops’ son in the shadow of Apocalypse. Can this post-nuclear family overthrow the ancient tyrant and his sadistic protégé, the boy called Stryfe, before Cyclops and Phoenix return to the present? In the aftermath, Nathan meets the mysterious Blaquesmith, falls for the lovely Aliya and seeks out the hidden Askani order — but why are they hailing him as their chosen one? Learn the Askani’s secret origin and their strange connection to Rachel Summers — another time-torn mutant, and Nathan’s long-lost sister! Collecting ADVENTURES OF CYCLOPS & PHOENIX #1-4, ASKANI’SON #1-4, X-MEN: PHOENIX #1-3, X-MEN: BOOKS OF ASKANI and material from MARVEL VALENTINE SPECIAL.
352 PGS./Rated T …$34.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-8833-9

Hmmmm, is Cable coming back to the forefront, sometime soon?

X-MEN: ASGARDIAN WARS TPB (NEW PRINTING)
Written by CHRIS CLAREMONT
Penciled by PAUL SMITH & ARTHUR ADAMS
Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS
The X-Men take on Loki, god of mischief! In the Arctic Circle, Alpha Flight and the X-Men discover a power that could save the world — but are they willing to pay the terrible price? Is Loki truly trying to give Earth a godly boon, or are his motives darker than the heroes dare dream? And when the X-Men incur Loki’s wrath, it’s the novice New Mutants who take the fall…and rise to Asgard! The X-Men ride to the rescue, but what if the New Mutants don’t want to go home? And as Storm falls under Loki’s sway, Magik is ensorcelled by the Enchantress, and Mirage has a fateful encounter with the Valkyrie, can even the mightiest mutants survive the magic of myth? Collecting X-MEN & ALPHA FLIGHT (1995) #1-2, NEW MUTANTS SPECIAL EDITION #1 and X-MEN ANNUAL (1970) #9.
248 PGS./Rated T …$29.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-8872-8

JESSICA JONES: THE PULSE — THE COMPLETE COLLECTION TPB
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by MARK BAGLEY, BRENT ANDERSON, MICHAEL LARK, MICHAEL GAYDOS & OLIVIER COIPEL
Cover by MIKE MAYHEW
Jessica Jones, breakout star of Brian Michael Bendis’ hit series ALIAS, is back! And the ex-Avenger-turned-private investigator is starting a new chapter in her life — working for The Daily Bugle’s new super-hero section, The Pulse! Jessica’s first assignment: to uncover the identity of a former Bugle reporter’s super-powered murderer! How is Norman Osborn involved? And how will Jessica’s shocking discovery affect the entire Marvel Universe? And when Nick Fury’s Secret War spills over into the streets, it hits Jessica and Luke Cage right where they live! With their lives in shambles, Jessica decides to fight back! Finally, it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for: the birth of Jessica and Luke’s baby, and their wedding day! Guest-starring Spider-Man, Captain America, the New Avengers and more! Collecting PULSE #1-9 and #11-14, and NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL (2006) #1.
360 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9086-8

Last month, I questioned why the Pulse issues were not included in the Alias Omnibus. I reckon an extra 14 issues would have made it a real bear to carry and deal with.

for a total of $29, which isn’t bad. It should be under $40 and I can do weekly shipping again.

Speaking of which, the other day I got my first shipment from DCBS, All New X-Men 27 and All New Ultimates 2 and they were packed with care and it only took a week to get to me as it went Parcel Post. Not too shabby.

. . .

UPDATE June 4, 2014 –

Right now, seven comics nets me at $17.93.

With Weekly shipping and bags and boards, my grand total is – $38.67 which is well under my $40.00 budget! YAY!